Xeon
by zog the angry chipmunk
Summary: A Matoran called Xeon's experiences in the Dark Mirror universe ruled by power hungry Toa, from becoming a Toa himself to his capture by the Toa Empire, and even his return.
1. Welcome to a Dark Mirror

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle.**

**520 years after Tuyet's takeover**

**Prologue**

The silver and black Matoran of Magnetism ran for his life, trailed by fire and plasma. He'd been caught trying to steal from the Archives and was immediately pursued by the two Toa now following him: Reak, Toa of Fire and Urix, Toa of Plasma. Xeon dashed around a corner, only to have Reak use the Mask of Quick Travel to appear right in front of him.

Xeon swiveled, already knowing he'd find the Toa of Plasma, Urix, bearing down on him. In this dark, damp area of the Archives, he didn't have a good chance of evading a Toa with a Mask of Vision.

"Give up. It's over." Reak's growl broke the stillness in the stale air.

"It's over?" Xeon asked, looking up at the Fire Toa. "It's barely begun." Suddenly, two more Matoran dropped from de ducts. This wouldn't threaten Toa normally, but the two were armed. A purple-black Matoran of Gravity cocked his Electro-Blaster. The blue-white Matoran of Ice held up a Ghost Blaster.

"Civiris, Vutika," Xeon said. "Take them." Xeon produced an energy blade.

"You think that'll scare us?" Urix asked. "Come quietly, Matoran."

"We've been too quiet. That's what this whole thing is about." Xeon leveled the blade, which crackled with energy. "You surrender."

Reak's mask glowed and he was suddenly behind Civiris. The Matoran ducked a blow from the Toa. Xeon took a chance. He threw the blade.

X

Xeon found the weapon: a battered Spear of Teleportation. It was among only a few items that would allow a Matoran to teleport themselves without a disk.

"Remind me again what it's for." Civiris said.

"You'll see," was the reply.

X

**20 years ago**

The Toa were going too far. Xeon knew it. He understood them being paranoid; he could even understand their wish for Matoran to act with speed and efficiency. Xeon didn't like it, but he understood it. But this was just way too far.

He looked in silence as the Matoran was dragged away by a Toa of Plant Control. The worst part, he reflected, was that none of the Matoran could do anything. Even the mighty Makuta had fallen. The Dark Hunters had little or no power anymore. And the Great Spirit was not doing anything.

That was when a rogue Rahkshi blasted through the street with its orange armor gleaming. It had sensed the Toa and it didn't like it. The Toa waved a hand and vines wrapped around the Rahkshi, but a swarm of insects consumed the vines. The Rahkshi freed itself and sent a few insects at the Toa. They didn't look potent and the Toa ignored them to concentrate on more plants. That was when the bugs attacked. The Toa let out a yell as they bit and sent out power blasts. The Toa batted them away and blasted the Rahkshi with vines and a shove from the Mask of Power Screams.

Xeon looked at the insects. If Tuyet wanted to treat Matoran like insects, that was what she would get.

X

**Present day**

"Yes," Xeon said. The Staff had allowed them to slip onto a shipping boat. They were on another island, one that looked a lot like Metru Nui. There was one important difference; this island hadn't heard of him yet.

The three Matoran slipped into the city, using the staff to avoid security. The map Xeon had secured led them right where they wanted to go.

"Welcome to the Suva of Tye Nui." Xeon said.

As the Matoran approached the temple, they saw more guards but fewer entrances.

"We've been planning this for a year. Don't let something mess us up." Xeon reminded the others quietly. Vutika nodded, Civiris stayed silent.

Xeon's statement was not exaggerated. The plan had taken a full year and then some to create and begin carrying out.

The three snuck towards the moat around the temple. Xeon had paid a lot of widgets in Metru Nui to a Matoran called Ahkmou for info. He had said that the building was from before Tuyet so it had some secret entrances. One would work. The entrance was underwater and came through the floor of a room. It would probably be guarded from the inside, which would make getting out quietly a small miracle.

Vutika slipped into the water around the Suva with as little splashing as possible. He was followed by Civiris, with Xeon going last. The three had to surface at intervals for breath.

"Found it," Xeon muttered. There was an indent in the stream. Xeon dusted away the sand on it, revealing a metal hatch. Xeon shrugged and opened it.

X

As soon as he opened the hatch, water rushed into it. Xeon took a lightstone out of a small pouch and shone it into the darkness. "Here goes nothing," he muttered as he dove.

X

The tunnel was designed for use underwater. It went down but curved sharply upward, keeping the tunnel dry enough to move through, at least partially.

"This is disgusting," Xeon muttered. The tunnel had algae, moss, and all sorts of vegetation. There was as much dead vegetation as alive, thanks to the tunnel being seemingly without ventilation.

Xeon trailed the tunnel through a few twists and turns. Finally, there was a wall with a small hatch in it.

Civiris spoke up. "This place stinks very much. Let's go already."

Xeon hesitated, but opened the hatch.


	2. The beginning of an end

Xeon burst through the door, then dodged around a corner as Civiris fired a stun weapon. Xeon sprinted to the far end of the room and took out a small, mechanical sphere. It was black and silver with three arms that stuck when Xeon attached it to the wall. Civiris and Vutika came up behind him and waited for what seemed like too long before the mechanism triggered and blew the wall open.

Xeon sprinted through the dust and fired the electric weapon blindly around the stone room. Suddenly, a lean, armored blue hand reached through the dust and grabbed him. Civiris and Vutika both fired at the place the attacker should be, but nothing hit. A stream of water shot from the cloud and blasted both Vutika and Civiris into the wall while still clutching Xeon.

Xeon grabbed the attacker's arm with both hands and swung his lower torso and feet, kicking the arm with force. There was a cry as Xeon's blow landed and the attacker let go, allowing Xeon to jump away. The Matoran of Magnetism took out a weapon and launched a blast, dodging away while the attacker was startled.

Xeon motioned Vutika forward while Civiris was unpacking some sort of machine from his backpack. The two Matoran followed another map that they had brought, ducking through a tunnel and entering another room. Xeon cautiously approached the objective: a Toa Stone stockpile.

Usually the stockpiles were used for backups or any number of things. In this case, however, it was going to be used for Xeon, Vutika and Civiris to turn themselves into Toa.

X

Predictably, Civiris's weapon worked. A few minutes later, he was dragging an unconscious Toa of Lightning with blue arms and a Mask of Shielding into the room.

Xeon nodded. "We're close."

The three approached the Toa Suva. Xeon held up his Toa stone and placed it into the proper slot, followed by the other two. A column rose from the ground. It was a mushroom shape and it seemed majestic to the three Matoran. To Xeon it represented an end to tyranny by the Toa that were supposed to protect them.

Suddenly, the moment was shattered as a blue being about the size of a Toa brought a chainsaw-club weapon down on the Suva. Slowly, the blue being stepped into the light and revealed itself. There was no mistaking the aura of power and madness that the being emitted.

This was Toa Tuyet, leader of the Toa. The mouth on the infamous mask curled into a cruel smile. "Up to something, Matoran?" she asked.


	3. Chance encounter

A/N

Sorry about the extended update time. I have been very busy, doing this, Renegade IV, schoolwork, building Bionicle characters, etc. By the way, 's message system is messed up. I will be replying to any reviews via IM or email.

x

Toa Tuyet glared at Xeon. The three Matoran were in Tuyet's base, with no one for company except Tuyet herself.

"How long have you been planning this?" Tuyet abruptly asked Civiris. The Matoran of Gravity looked right at Tuyet. The Toa of Water was exhibiting no emotion whatsoever. There was no indication of anger.

Xeon shook his head 'no' at Civiris. The less Tuyet would know the better. Civiris looked at Tuyet with all the defiance he could muster. Tuyet looked at him for a full second before turning to Xeon. "And you? Do you remember when you started planning this?" Xeon gave her a glare but remained silent. Tuyet turned away and approached the stairs to outside, where Xeon could hear the soft sound of rain.

Xeon finally spoke. Vutika thought it might be the surroundings, but Xeon's voice was different.

"Hundreds of years of tyranny. Hundreds of years of oppression. Matoran fearing the very beings made to protect them. Rest assured, Tuyet, "Xeon said, "I will bring you down. Whether it takes years or centuries, you will fall."

Tuyet turned and gave Xeon a hard stare. At that moment the wall facing outwards was bashed in. Two Toa came through the door, but Xeon could tell they were different from the Toa that Tuyet was in charge of. Their armor was strange, ancient yet futuristic. Both had black bodies, but each had a solid coat of colored armor. One had gleaming silver armor and an almost majestic appearance and carrying a sword and shield that matched his silver armor. The other was orange and had a different aura of power around him. While the silver had an unknown and ancient power, the orange one seemed powerful in a different way. Both wore Kanohi that had been stolen from the Archives at some point in the past.

The silver one, apparently the one who shattered the wall, stepped into the room. The rain slid off his strange armor.

"Tuyet, your reign is over. Step down." The orange one said, lowering his lance.

"No," Tuyet said. Raw power charged in her fist and she sent a jet of water straight at the silver being. He held up his hand and it turned to dust, the remaining particles drifting away only slightly interfering with the two staring at each other. Tuyet didn't take too long to ponder this strange being's power.

Tuyet sent another jet of water at the silver being. Again, the projectile was turned to dust. However, Tuyet pressed the attack, even as the water began turning to dust as soon as it appeared. At the same time Tuyet was advancing, straining against the push of her own water jet.

Xeon looked at the Toa. As he watched the immense power streaming from the beings, he lost a sense of separation he had had almost his entire life. It wasn't the Toa's size that intimidated him before, but the raw power they let out. One blast of energy from a Toa could wound a Matoran badly. Now, however, Xeon didn't feel that fundamental separation.

He could feel some kind of energy building in his hands. Suddenly he was somewhere else. He was a Toa clad in powerful blue armor and carrying two Toa tools that looked like nothing Xeon knew of. They were metal, with various supports and channels making them a comfortable weight. They extended both up and down when he held it up, but it felt more natural to let the part that stuck down rest against the back of his arm.

He looked around. He was on a battlefield. A golden Toa was using Light and Shadow powers to fight off a Makuta, unaware of a titan coming up behind her. Xeon knew, in a dreamlike way, that he was in a different universe that had different rules.

The Makuta's fist swung down and Xeon knew that even if he stopped it, the titan would keep trying. He didn't have time to think. He brought up both arms to where they pointed at the being. He felt a surge of energy that was natural and alien at the same time. A bolt of magnetic energy blasted from his hands and struck the giant. The mass of metal erupted in a massive explosion, spewing green ghostlike material that trailed after the armor. Xeon had a strange feeling, like exercising a muscle he didn't know he'd had. He felt exhausted and physically staggered.

Xeon awoke with a start. He realized he'd been having a vision. The two Toa were still fighting, with Tuyet having halted her progress just out of the reach of the silver Toa's sword. Suddenly, Tuyet whipped out one of her chain batons. She gripped the handle of the longest weapon and swung it hard at the silver warrior. The blade began to hum menacingly. It ripped through the silver being's armor; a move that Xeon knew would be fatal. Suddenly, the orange warrior raised his hand. All three warriors were engulfed in an orange glow and the moment rewound itself. The baton, replaced, swung again. The silver Toa brought up a strange shield that deflected it.

The being waved to the orange Toa and said, "Thank you, Xarix!"

The orange warrior, Xarix, responded by saying, "Any time, Noron."

The silver being, Noron, saved his hand in a sweeping motion at Tuyet. Suddenly, the air turned into a block of stone that blocked the Water Toa's attack.

"Come on, Tuyet's minions could arrive any minute." Noron waved at the three Matoran, and Xeon watched in amazement as his bonds vanished.

"Wait. Who are you?" Civiris asked.

"We are Knights of Artahka, sworn to defend freedom." Noron's voice was full of pride. At that moment, Toa Tuyet burst out from the stone wall.

"Are these Matoran important to you?" the Toa of Water demanded.

"Back off." Xarix said, lowering his staff.

"Too bad," Tuyet said. She sent condensed water at Noron. At the same time she sent another beam that cut the ceiling.

"Go!" Xeon ordered the two Matoran.

"You know we aren't leaving you." Vutika said.

Xeon looked at him. "Actually, I hope you made travel plans because yes you are." Xeon shoved them both out under the falling rock and to safety. He jumped after them, just as a massive rock that was the largest chunk of the ceiling fell towards him. It slammed to the ground, followed by dust and debris. Xeon had vanished.

Noron raised his hand and turned the stone to liquid. Xeon struggled out of it, standing. Suddenly, a water bolt struck Noron, with a second bolt wounding Xarix and knocking his mask clean off.

"Go!" Xeon said. He unhooked a blade from his belt, dashing right at Tuyet and stabbing it deep into her leg. The tyrant screamed, swinging the chain baton right at Xeon. He backflipped away and ran past the Toa and Matoran, saying, "Move! We need to get out of here!"

The five sprinted out of the building. Noron turned to the Matoran and said, "We will meet again."

"Wait!" Xeon said. Does either of you have a mask that induces visions?"

"No," said Xarix, sounding confused. "Only a Kanohi Olisi will do that."

"Interesting," said Xeon as he walked away with the other Matoran, away from the battle.


	4. End of days

Xeon wandered the Le-Metru district, awaiting a message from his friend. The Matoran were making another play for some Toa Stones. After they had escaped Tuyet, they were rushing to find something to fight with before Tuyet found them. The main thing that had kept them safe was that their attacks were minor and beneath Tuyet's attention. Now they were in extreme danger.

Xeon took a mental note of a Le-Matoran motioning at him. He had been careful to hide, so the Matoran had actively sought him out. He walked to the green being.

Understandably, the Le-Matoran was anxious. "You know it's treasonous for me to even be here?" He sounded panicked.

"Listen, I know you're worried." Xeon reassured. He motioned his friend, a Ta-Matoran called Morik, to come out of the shadows. Vutika was there too, slightly behind the strong Ta-Matoran. "This is important. For now, there's only a few of us. We're fighting against the Toa, for freedom."

The Matoran nodded nervously. Xeon smiled. "Thank you, Piruk. You're doing a good thing here." Vutika said.

X

Piruk showed them a number of back routes through the jungle of cables, Xeon noting happily that they were actually early. He noticed aircraft in the sky, wondering which ones were looking for him. The Toa were steadily oppressing Matoran more. He'd already barely saved a Matoran from being burned to ashes by Tahu, and he had only escaped the powerful Toa with some expert maneuvers that landed Tahu in a pit.

Xeon saw a flash of brown. He frowned. The mechanical, fresh smell of the city was still present, but he didn't smell wood. The various tubes and trolleys, the buildings and supports for transport chutes, everything was green. Even the skyline was tinged green, though it was not a storm. Xeon looked at the cable-covered ground as he slipped through the umpteenth loading bay. Nothing here but wood, stone and Po-Matoran should be brown.

Xeon put it out of his mind. It wouldn't do much good to look for something here without a native guide. Also, they were at the loading dock.

Xeon nodded at Piruk, who walked off. Xeon motioned for Morik to stand guard while Xeon commandeered the payload and Vutika guarded. Xeon slipped into the cargo bay as the target rolled in. Working quickly he disabled the wheels and brought out a single stone. It looked familiar, but Xeon couldn't place it. Just then Morik let out a scream that was cut short by the whine of a rotating chain club.

Xeon sprinted back to the loading platform and saw something was very, very wrong. Toa Tuyet herself was standing there, one chain club in hand. Xeon had information on the weapons and it was not good; the chains were shaped out of a molecular structure that could cut any material, even its own material.

Xeon gestured frantically and Vutika nodded, dragging a stunned Piruk away from the powerful Toa.

Xeon looked at Tuyet. "I'm surprised you came all the way out here personally." Xeon said. He looked at Morik, who was lying on the ground. If he didn't make it, it wouldn't be the first time a Toa and especially Tuyet had killed a Matoran.

Tuyet smirked, a nasty sight with her humorless eyes. It looked to Xeon like a snarl. Tuyet lunged and Xeon rolled away from her strike with her weapon, knowing that no blade could block it.

He whipped around to face Tuyet again. Suddenly he was no longer at the Le-Metru boarding dock. The sudden lack of the sounds of the city and the smell of Protodermis transport chutes was startling. In place of that was a stone chamber that was lit but did not have windows, lightstones or any obvious source for the light.

Xeon was standing at one end of the chamber with Tuyet at the other. He was similar to the Toa he had been in the last vision, except his armor was silver. He eyed Tuyet warily before he became aware of his hand reaching into a pouch. The Toa he apparently was brought out a Toa Stone just like the one Xeon had stolen from the transport.

Xeon heard Tuyet and the being he occupied shouting at each other. The 'Toa Xeon' commanded Tuyet to back down. Tuyet looked surprised and angry. She swung her blade, but the powerful arm of the other Toa shot out and sent a streak of electrical plasma into the churning blade. It traveled the length of the weapon and Tuyet threw it down.

'Toa Xeon' advanced on Tuyet, powerful leg and foot armor gripping the ground. Tuyet swung her arm, a razor beam of water flying from her palm. Xeon saw it strike the being's chest in a huge blow and the image shattered. He was faced with the real Tuyet standing over him in Le-Metru.

"You're a very interesting Matoran." Tuyet was oblivious to Xeon's vision. "Pity I'll have to destroy you."

"Run!" Xeon said. He didn't look to see if the others ran. He tucked and rolled to the side as Tuyet's blade gouged the ground. He dashed through a door, climbing to the third floor. He heard powerful footsteps pounding the stairs behind him.

Xeon navigated the segmented area, dashing around doors until he saw a window. He jumped out, falling before gripping the sill of the next window. He swung through it, glad the building was empty for now.

He swung across handholds until he found a flagpole. It bore the Toa's symbol and Tuyet's picture. He ripped the fag down and held it with both hands, using it to glide before landing on the street. The gray Matoran turned, watching the empty building in horror and awe. A tidal wave was rising around it, crushing and decimating it. Tuyet stalked out of the rubble, untouched.

"Oh Karzahni," Xeon said. Matoran were rushing back from their work in other places on schedule, only to find a Matoran of Magnetism pursued by a nearly invincible Toa.

Xeon threw a few others out of the way, finding the control district. The skyscrapers were taller. He had a chance.

He grabbed a doorframe and kicked in the metal door, dashing through the building. Matoran ignored him. He swung into an elevator, proceeding to hack several safety protocols and sending the elevator shooting upward. Xeon shot to the ninth floor before he stopped.

He walked into a simple office. The area was not very crowded. However, Xeon was well aware that anything or anyone left could be annihilated.

Xeon calmly walked over to the being that seemed to be in charge. He was slightly less nervous than the rest. At least for now.

"Evacuate this building." Xeon snapped at the guard.

"Why in the name of the Toa should I do that?" The Matoran asked.

Xeon held up a dagger so that only the other Matoran could see. "This answers a lot of questions nowadays. Tuyet's coming here. Get everyone out."

The Matoran shouted commands into a microphone, glancing at Xeon's knife.

Xeon walked over to a window. A tall blue figure strode through the street. Her powerful, strange armor glinted in sunlight and her seemingly unstoppable tools gouged whatever they touched.

The Toa tyrant looked straight at Xeon. He became suddenly, painfully aware that he was nowhere near even with this monster in power or resources. That was why no Matoran had formed a rebellion before.

Xeon looked behind him. The building had emptied and Xeon reveled in the small amount of power that one dagger had. It had just save lives through fear. He turned and started designing a javelin, preparing to escape. A building across the street would finally let him out of this trap.

There was a roar, and Xeon looked around. Outside, in the window, Tuyet was giving an impressive show of force. A solid wall of deep water rushed upward outside, creating a dizzying illusion. Xeon glanced at the javelin, then at the raw power outside. A quote from someone Xeon didn't know flew through his mind. '_No one made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little._'

Xeon took out his dagger, watching the light on the blade as it glinted through the roaring water cell.


	5. Nothing is certain

Xeon was forced to breathe as little as possible as the watery cocoon surrounded his hideout. Tuyet's raw power was immense. He had just one shot that banked on Toa Tuyet not looking.

Xeon thought as he ran for the open window. People often said you didn't need special talent to be a hero; you just needed to be brave. But in Xeon's experience, the smart beings that hid in shadow were the heroes. The brave ones were just dead. And the combination was something that could go either way.

Xeon jumped right at the rushing water, before grabbing the windowsill and flipping upwards. His feet grazed the wall of water and stung from the cold and the cutting pressure. Then his momentum kicked in and he flipped back to the wall, climbing handholds like damaged areas or flagpoles while exerting himself as little as possible to save precious air. He climbed a couple stories to where he knew were a command center was situated. He locked the door as he entered; his plan would drown him if he did it wrong.

He punched some coordinates into the chute system. This was for emergencies, and this counted. The station connected to a nearby chute control hub, sending every button Xeon pressed. With each button he felt himself growing fainter. The chutes he was altering didn't carry Matoran, but his plan would decimate the city and possibly destroy more than one being's property and self.

With a gasp he took in what seemed to be the last breathable air. He pulled a lever, radically altering the chutes in a way only Toa were allowed to do. He was probably the first Matoran to do this.

He risked opening the door and letting in more air. There wasn't much but it would last a few precious breaths.

X

Toa Tuyet stood in the scattered remains of some unlucky maintenance robots that were between her and some Matoran. She wasn't sure why she hadn't delegated this to someone else. However, she had to admit that this particular Matoran group had been fairly good sport.

She revved her chain baton. She had put her second-in-command, Nidhiki, the Toa who had betrayed Lihkan, to work tracking down the strange Toa who had attacked her. The one Toa, Noron, had flagged several Archives entries for exhibiting strange abilities based on matter, but the orange one, Xarix, seemed to be an untraceable anomaly. She held the Mask of Time in her main chamber but none of the Kanohi Ivax that she possessed could give her any clues.

On the other hand, a mysterious contact, seemingly working with the two Toa, had given her a message saying he would sell out Noron.

As a bonus, at least one of the Matoran who were working with this resistance was dead. Three others were captured. Tuyet chuckled, part of her wishing she could do this all the time.

X

Xeon wasn't sure he'd done it. That was very bad, since he was on very little air. He would open the door but it might have worked, in which case opening the door would kill him too. He had exhausted all of the air pockets in the room, including cabinets, but he was breathing almost nothing except what he had already exhaled. Unless it worked that moment, he would suffocate on unusable air.

X

Tuyet heard the screams. Not of a Toa's doing, especially when none were authorized to be here. A tingle on the back of her neck was the only clue she got.

Tuyet whipped around, almost jumping in shock as a massive slab of stone wall flew from the tower toward her. With a graceful movement, she brought up her weapons and sliced it in half as easily as if it was paper. The tower she had surrounded with water was crackling with electricity.

She smiled. These Matoran in the resistance group were clever if nothing else.

X

The magnetic pulses Xeon had sent around the city through the controls were moving wildly. No command panel was turning them back into the chute system that everyone was used to. They were just sections of electromagnetism constantly collapsing in upon themselves. Xeon felt one pulse rock the tower just as he took one last breath.

The tower started to crumble and left the insulated room the only area defended from electric flashes and wildly spinning metal objects. Xeon smirked to himself. He had beat Tuyet and escaped her powers, even if he ran out of oxygen before the room hit the ground.

X

Tuyet ripped falling debris out of the air with pressurized water, striding confidently through the storm of light brown rock and silver metal. The area was darkened by dust and lighting from the electromagnetic pulses lit up the area, seeming like lightning.

She stopped as she saw the command room, an area designed to withstand almost anything, spinning away as it crushed rock and protosteel. Xeon would be in there if he wanted to live.

X

Moments ago

Xeon gasped fresh air as he burst out of the command room in the middle of a fall. In the air he wouldn't be electrified by other metal objects. Not bothering to rest, he lunged onto the next piece of the decimated building in the hope of finding something to work as a parachute.

He leapt. At the last moment, his legs gave out from the run and lack of oxygen. He felt himself falling before he blacked out completely.

X

The powerful Fire Toa known as Gaihall read his latest tablet. He was in a moderate-sized stone room, brown and black except for two torches. The furniture and desk were also stone. He was in the secret station of the Knights of Artahka, stationed underwater through Artahka's designs.

Gaihall punched his desk, his powerful fist leaving a dent. Underwater was insane.

"Just another screw-up in a war we could never have won." Gaihall said, his Artahka-style Kanohi Hau twisting into a look of anger.

"What was that, brother?" Toa Noron's silver and black form walked into the room.

"Nothing, Noron. We Knights should be up there fighting for the Matoran, not sitting down here reading tablets!" Gaihall snapped.

Noron looked at him thoughtfully. "I understand that you want action. But the true needs of this world are far more important than simple battles. Tuyet has grown powerful."

Gaihall hissed but let it slide. "Are you certain this is what's best, Noron?" the fire Toa finally asked.

Noron, who had been walking toward the silhouetted doorframe, answered, "In these times, brother, nothing at all is certain."

X

Tuyet looked in shock at the open door. Xeon was gone. There was no blood, no armor and no sign of either having ever been there. Behind her, Xeon crouched on a pillar of the ruined building. He had survived.

The Matoran jumped down, quietly as possible. He ducked through all the buildings and alleys he passed, using them to let him track possible pursuers. No one followed.

Xeon returned to the station. He felt the one Toa stone the Matoran had dangling in his pocket. Suddenly, his foot hit something. He leaned down in the fading light, using the slight light to see an outline. It was Morik. Tuyet had killed him.

Xeon's eyes flashed as he looked up. Another flash of brown. With a single motion, Xeon brought one of Morik's daggers up to eye level and sent it flying; penetrating the shadows where the brown spot would have went. Someone shouted in pain.

Xeon tackled the shadow, feeling a Matoran body. He pinned the figure's arms to their sides and whipped them around, shoving them into the twilight.

It was Ahkmou. And he was holding Vutika's damaged mask.


	6. Keep out

"Wait!" Ahkmou said, right as Xeon was about to knock him unconscious.

"Why should I?" Xeon asked coldly, glancing at Morik.

"It wasn't me. I didn't tell Tuyet where you were." Ahkmou said, shrinking away from Xeon. The gray-colored Matoran blinked.

"Then why did you follow us?" Xeon asked.

"I… I was spying on Tuyet." Ahkmou said, looking around. Tuyet's rampage seemed to have smashed many of the recording instruments in the area, and it was abandoned.

"Why didn't you say she was after us?" Xeon's fist raised again.

"I didn't know!" Ahkmou whined, trying again to back away.

"Fine." Xeon let go of Ahkmou, who stumbled. Xeon sat on a nearby stone. Tuyet's presence meant it was unlikely he'd encounter anyone else here.

X

"We cannot keep this up. We must either escalate or fail on our mission." Xeon muttered. Sitting beside him in the Matoran's base was a rare Av-Matoran named Aurius. The two had been close friends since Xeon started the rebellion, and she often assisted in strategic planning.

"I agree. Casualties will not exactly improve morale," the yellow-armored Matoran said. "Any luck with the Toa Stone you captured?"

"None," Xeon responded grimly. "We know of a Suva, but the place is locked down thanks to my escape. Tuyet's covered every opening. We have Enforcers there, Aurius." Xeon's mention of Enforcers, the indestructible ultra-Vahki, made Aurius stare at him.

"What did you do to escape, exactly?" the Av-Matoran asked. Enforcer units were titans, capable of taking on a Toa and winning. They had been instrumental into the defeat of powerful groups such as the Brotherhood, thanks to their incredibly advanced armor, Disk Powers, and speed and strength. They also had action-reaction and independent planning software integrated into their wiring.

"It may have involved Toa command posts." Xeon smirked in self-satisfaction.

X

"Team, meet in the main area. We have a situation," Noron's voice rang out.

The silver and black Toa waited patiently for the others to appear. First was Gaihall, the Toa of Fire. He was followed by Xarix. More Toa began to appear. Onamax, Toa of Earth, Labred, Toa of Ice, Lorkka, Toa of Water, and Codon, Toa of Air.

"Yes?" Labred asked short-temperedly.

"Enforcers." Noron said. "Approaching our location."

X

Xeon crept through the alley. The Enforcers were set to attack things at short range, so as not to interrupt work, but Xeon was wary. Several had turned and walked underwater, which was not a good sign. Their waterproofing on top of all their other features did not put him in a good mood.

Tuyet was making an announcement, which Xeon was half listening to. Something caught his attention.

"…Any Matoran found to be disregarding their duty to the Toa or perceived to be taking action against the Toa Order is to be taken to the holding area…" Tuyet's voice said. Xeon shuddered; that was essentially an order to throw disobedient Matoran into Tuyet's dungeon.

"We have a situation," he muttered.

X

Noron's expression was neutral, but the Toa could tell he was nervous. They all were. If Tuyet had found them through their protection, Artahka's armor might not help them.

"Stay calm. Stick to the plan. We'll be fine. We'll make it," Noron said, partly to himself. Despite his nerves, though, he had to admit that the plan was good. It used each Toa's elemental abilities, skills and tools to maximum effect. Noron himself was planning to take the biggest risk, seeing what other surprises the Enforcer units brought.

As leader, he felt it was nothing less than his responsibility.

X

"We need drastic action. Some of us may be captured or worse if we do this. But a lot of beings, including us, will be executed if we don't," Xeon said.

The group was medium size. Xeon felt a small level of pride. This many Matoran willing to risk their lives to defeat Tuyet, to free the Matoran, to protect freedom.

"Let's move."

X

The wall creaked, and Noron readied his guard. The shield would defend from almost any attack.

"Let's end this," Noron said. The wall creaked again, and water rushed in. An Enforcer stood in the opening. Noron focused his power over Protodermis, disintegrating the powerful machine with ease. The water had stopped at waist level, thanks to Artahka's design, and Noron found that it was clear out into the water. About a few feet from the gap, though, was dust and rubble. A microwave ray shot from behind it, the Enforcer trademark weapon sweeping the room. Noron used his power again, turning the ray to stone. Somewhere in the water, an Enforcer's weapon overheated.

Suddenly, Lorkka swiveled. The back wall fell to the ground, revealing another Enforcer. Noron readied his ability once more, but the Enforcer's Disk Power activated and it was behind Noron in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, a hail of elemental blasts hit it. It started for a moment, turning to the other Knights.

The thing's immense size finally struck Noron. Almost nothing could beat that. He triggered his power once more. The circuitry was embedded in the armor, so Noron began to cripple the hydraulics. It fell, unmoving.

Noron cried out as he was thrown into a wall. Two more Enforcers smashed into the wall, one shooting Codon and the other taking aim at Labred. The Ice Toa began to freeze the ice around the two, pinning them. Lorkka stepped in, letting Labred freeze every bit of the space in the robots.

"Toa seal!" Noron shouted over the roar of water as two more Enforcers approached. "I'm low on energy!"

Noron had been destroying Enforcers as they approached, but found his power drained. The Mask of Light he wore, normally silver without a herald, was fading to gray.

The Knights put their fists together, beginning a Toa Seal to use as a shield. Suddenly, it splintered as an Enforcer used a Teleportation Disk and phased into the shield. While the material shattered, it began firing. Xarix went down, unable to stop the shot without his mask. The Artahka armor kept him intact, but barely.

Lorkka fired two shots from her crossbow, both hitting the mechanical attacker. It primed a shot, one that would pierce the weak spot in Lorkka's neck armor. Noron jumped in front of the shot, using his shield.

Meanwhile, Labred was using shards of the Toa Seal like throwing knives. Each left a gash in the Enforcer metal, but most of them were very shallow. Only one throw struck the Enforcer in a meaningful way, jamming into its disk launching mechanism. This gave Codon the chance to plunge his weapon into its launcher. He fired, and the shot ignited the power cell. Fire pushed out through the armor in a strange explosion.

Noron had been beating away at two Enforcers at once when an all too familiar voice said, "Drop your weapon or his head. You pick, Toa." The hissed words came from a Toa in jungle-green and black armor. His long, wicked scythe was looped around Onamax's head, the staff part more than long enough to hold the others at bay. Five Enforcers, all in perfect condition, pointed their guns at the others.

"You," Noron said. This was unexpected.

"Me," replied Nidhiki, Second-in-Command of the Toa Empire and currently the most powerful Toa of Air in existence.


	7. Knock, Knock

This might be my last update in a while.

:-X-:

Noron started forward, preparing to attack Nidhiki, but the Air Toa just looked at his hostage, Onamax, and smirked.

Noron frowned. The Enforcers weren't letting any of the Knights assist their Earth brother. None of their elemental powers seemed to fit. Nidhiki had planned it all precisely.

The brown stone walls of the building and the sea-green water were merging. Noron needed to make a decision quickly.

He took a breath of the seawater-smelling air, sighed, and raised his hands.

X

Xeon glanced around the corner, clenching his fists. A dagger was in one of them. Xeon had bought the dagger from a cloaked being. The being was one of the few ways to obtain weapons since Tuyet had doubled patrols of the Archives.

The Matoran were in Ta-Metru, a couple days after discovering the Enforcers. Xeon was trying to kidnap a Toa.

The Toa in question was a being named Tahu, well-known for a fiery temper to match his element. Xeon had brought Vutika as backup, a Ta-Matoran called Treik as a guide and Aurius as bait. However, upon finding Tahu, they saw him repeatedly strike a Matoran who was perceived to not be doing his job. Tahu had tongues of flame rising from his fists and the battered Matoran.

Xeon made a choice. He muttered to Vutika, "Alert the others; change of plan. Same alleyway."

Vutika nodded.

X

Tahu had finished with the disobedient Matoran when he saw another walk up to him. This one was in no hurry. Apparently he didn't have a job, making him a criminal.

"You, come here." Tahu snarled at the being. The Matoran smirked insolently. His black and gunmetal gray armor marked him as a Matoran of Magnetism, a type Tahu had had dealings with in the past.

He smirked himself. He would enjoy this.

X

Xeon saw Tahu look him over, but the Toa didn't see Xeon's dagger. This was perfect. The Toa was too arrogant to summon help once the trap was sprung and too distracted to take note of Xeon's weapon.

Xeon smirked. He would enjoy this.

X

Tuyet's fortress, sitting at the base of the Coliseum, looked out imposingly over the city. Tuyet stood at the window from the top floor, looking proudly at the place she had built. It was perfect save for a few ignorant Matoran who were trying to cause trouble.

The city was perfected. Rules strict enough to keep everything balanced, Toa powerful enough to guard the city, the city efficient enough to support the Toa.

And it wasn't about to change.

Tuyet looked at the mask of Lihkan, her onetime teammate. That Toa was gone now. And the Toa Empire had risen.


	8. Backstabbed

Xeon missed tricking Toa. Right now, he would take an experienced Toa over this.

Not one or two, but four Enforcers were raining fire and energy disks on the Matoran, each as deadly as the last. A Matoran named Hewkii had already been captured, and Aurius was pinned down.

The worst part was that the Enforcers were using the disks on themselves. He watched as one of the robots, which had used the Reconstitute at Random disk on itself, stabbed one of its insect-like legs into a rock and shattered it.

An Enforcer teleported itself with a short-range disk, randomly appearing next to Xeon. It aimed the laser on its arm, but never fired a shot. Xeon used his foot to flip a metal lid off the ground and deflect the shot, aiming it so it did minor damage to the Enforcer trying to smash Vutika with its shield.

Xeon ducked into an alcove, thinking about how this had happened.

Tahu, Toa of Fire, had been threatening a Matoran. Xeon had tried to distract him, but things had gone from bad to worse as Tahu nearly caught or killed some of them.

Xeon had led him to where Hewkii was supposed to launch a trap, but Tahu had used his mask to deflect it and Hewkii was left fleeing with the rest of them… right into the path of some Enforcers.

Aurius, having escaped the Enforcer, was now trying to take on two at once, the teleporter and the Reconstitute at Random Enforcers.

Aurius snatched up the metal lid Xeon had used earlier, deflecting a laser while dodging a strike from the mutant. Suddenly, the teleporter used its power again. It was lining up a shot a Aurius from behind its own cover, while Aurius was distracted with the mutant.

As it phased into existence, Civiris leapt from behind it. Right as it solidified and primed a shot, Civiris put his fist right inside its head. He screamed as his hand became meshed with the hard metal that comprised the Enforcer. His fingers, existing inside the solid of the Enforcer's armor, flexed and merged with the robot. Meanwhile, the Enforcer was ripping apart under the strain.

The Enforcer crumpled, shorting out. Xeon smiled at Civiris's ability. He took the opportunity to dash out of hiding and snatch a rock from the ground, hitting an Enforcer that was after Vutika, and then dashing madly to where Civiris had collapsed.

He looked in shock at Civiris's hand and arm, which looked blurred and connected to the Enforcer head. Xeon tugged on it, but the arm refused to come out. Meanwhile, the battle was still underway, and even with Civiris's success they were losing. Xeon saw no choice. He took out one of his daggers, especially designed for cutting right through Matoran armor and organic material.

X

As the situation suddenly changed for the worst, thoughts ran rapidly through Noron's mind. Toa Nidhiki had taken Toa Onamax hostage and the five Enforcer units around them where charging their guns. Noron, having studied Nidhiki's powers and habits, knew that he would most likely kill Onamax in a matter of moments, regardless if any of them made a move to stop him. That was just his way. Noron looked straight into Onamax's eyes for advice. With the slightest of nods, Noron knew what he must do.

Noron took a breath, sighed, and raised his hands.

"Don't try it, Knight!" Nidhiki shouted, pushing his scythe a little harder on Onamax's neck. Slowly, Noron lowered his hands. "I don't know what you 'Knights of Artakha' are planning,'" Nidhiki snarled. "But not to worry, I know just what to do with you." A wicked smile grew on his green Mask of Stealth as he looked down on Onamax. Noron instantly knew what was about to happen.

Events happened quickly after that point. In the milliseconds before Nidhiki flicked his scythe and decapitated the Toa of Earth, Noron concentrated hard on using his power in a way he had only ever used once, and in a way that nobody else present could do. Any Toa can use his power on a physical plane, that was true enough, but the mental field was entirely different. Normally, only a Toa of Psionics would ever have access to Nidhiki's brain, ''But I'm Protodermis…" Noron quickly thought "I am Nidhiki's brain."

Using his last bit of energy with his mind, and giving no sigh of moving his body, Noron closed his eyes and unleashed a mental blast large enough to down a charging Muaka. Nidhiki's arms went flying up and out, letting go of Onamax, who used the chance to use his power over to bring up a 3-foot-thick column of dirt around Nidhiki, trapping him temporarily. While that was happening the remaining Knights took the advantage to attack the Enforcers, using elemental powers and Toa Tools. Striking as one, Labred froze huge ice spikes on the walls while Codon sent a strong blast of air at two of the Enforcers, sending them onto the spikes and destroying their circuitry. Gaihall and Lorkka fought back-to-back striking with water and lava downing one more. Noron collapsed into the water, unconscious. Onamax started dragging him to safety, just as Nidhiki burst out of the column, and although Xarix could no longer turn time back without his Kanohi, he could still use time as a weapon. As Nidhiki was about to fire an air blast that would kill Noron and Onamax, Xarix targeted the time-field around Nidhiki, and froze him in time and space, air blast still halfway out his scythe. Labred took the chance to freeze Nidhiki in a shell of foot-thick ice. Onamax left Noron to Xarix's care has he fired up his green Ghost Claws, ripping open an Enforcer's chest. As Gaihall Released a fire blast, the last Enforcer was gone, having had his head melted. The Knights look around. Indeed all the massive robots where gone, and Nidhiki was stopped. They had won this battle. The Knights gathered around Noron. He was still alive, just unconscious.

The water was starting to drain out of the chamber, as all the knights sat down. All expect Gaihall, with his back turned to the other Knights. "Come and sit Gaihall." Xarix said with a smile. Gaihall whipped around with a blast from his Heat Scythe, the super-heated air striking his five friends, quickly knocking them out from heat exhaustion.

"Not this time, 'brother'." Gaihall said with a slight rasp. He walked over to Noron, spat on him, and slung him over his shoulder. Using a bubble of hot air, Gaihall and Noron floated to the surface of the water.

Gaihall had a meeting to attend with Tuyet. And Noron had a meeting with death.

X

Xeon ducked through the doorway, followed by the others. They had finally lost the Enforcers for good.

He ducked through an alleyway, water around his ankles telling him he was in Ga-Metru. And there, standing tall, was the Great Temple. He began to realize why those four Enforcers had been there.

And how he could use this to his advantage.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air behind him. Hewkii had caught the brunt of a blow to the back of his neck, paralyzing him. Behind him, weapon raised, was an Enforcer.

X

Xeon ran for his life, abandoning Hewkii to run straight at the building. Laser beams trailed him and Enforcers tried to take shots at him, but Xeon used a couple buildings and a cart for cover. Xeon pulled his knife yet again, this time using it to gash the wall.

He jumped, using all of his practice to gauge it right, and stuck his toes in the gash, allowing the hard stone wall to evaporate under the withering firepower of the robots. Jumping down, he caught his fingers in the gash and flipped inside.

Xeon made a break for the Suva, dashing around the pillars and stairways.

There! Xeon could see the legendary rounded dome. He walked toward it, picking the stolen Toa stone out of his pocket. He stood on a carpeted area that formed a straight walk to the Suva, noticing his Toa stone glowing bright gray.

Xeon looked at it and suddenly sprinted toward the dome. He reached it and jammed the Toa stone into a slot.

There was a blinding glow from an electrical column. It struck him. Xeon blacked out.

X

The Enforcer broke through the door. Most of the Matoran were captured, but at the last moment one had made it inside the Great Temple.

It ran a scan, despite the odds that the Matoran had already left. No life signs.

*Author's note: Thanks to MataNui2001 on DeviantART for co-authoring this chapter.


	9. Making friends

Xeon gasped for fresh air. He wondered how long he'd been out. His skull hurt, he felt disoriented and his armor didn't feel right at all.

His oxygen-starved brain began to work. He remembered the white Toa stone, Tuyet trying to kill him, Enforcers…

Suddenly he leapt to his feet, new shin guards absorbing the shock silently. He looked down at his silver and black frame.

Suddenly, he remembered. He had inserted the Toa stone. That explained the armor, the disorientation and this new size.

Experimentally, he focused on any nearby objects. Toa had long been revered, but Matoran weren't told of how they focused their power.

Xeon decided it didn't matter. He had a new body, taller, faster and stronger, and he had to rescue the Matoran.

He dashed for the hole in the wall, snatching up a pair of staffs on the way. They were Vahki staffs, normally used for channeling power. Right now, though, he just needed something sharp and hard.

Reaching the opening, he didn't hesitate. He grabbed it with his hands outstretched, and used his momentum and strength to flip/hurl himself over the part of the wall and through the gap.

He landed about midway across the courtyard. Suddenly, he noticed something very wrong. The other Matoran he'd been working with were gone. And that wasn't the worst part. He looked back and forth. Not only was he alone and his friends missing, three Toa were surrounding him. One Toa on each side of him and one behind him on a street. In addition, an Enforcer stood before him.

He knew he was nearly as outclassed as he was as a Matoran. All of them had ranged powers, but he had just his combat skills. As if to bring home the point, the laser beam of the Enforcer's gun activated, the visible light trail pointed right at his chest.

"Well, slag." Xeon grumbled. The Toa to his left flipped out of the building and approached him.

It was a Toa of Air with armor in various shades of green, plus a silver helmet and black added armor. In addition, the being had a pair of wings on his back.

Bright red eyes burned into Xeon. The Toa of Magnetism stared levelly back, yellow gaze contrasting sharply with his silver armor. Suddenly, he lunged forward.

The Air Toa sent a massive blast of air, knocking Xeon off his feet.

"Assaulting a Toa. That's a serious offense. Not to mention stealing a Toa stone, vandalism, destruction of property, disobedience, destroying an Enforcer…" The Toa smirked. "You'll get lots of time to think about what you've done."

Xeon kicked his feet upward and rolled, getting back up quicker than the Toa expected.

He was about to land a crushing blow to the Toa's skull when the laser of an Enforcer weapon crossed his path. The beam of energy was punctuated by gaps. However, this only meant it preserved some of the Enforcer's power buildup, as the gaps were too small to cross.

Xeon growled and made a move as if to jump over the beam. He had hoped it would distract the Enforcer so he could go under. However, the robot didn't move its weapon beam.

Xeon quickly thought through what he knew about the huge machine. They preserved peace, theoretically, but had often been used by Nidhiki and Tuyet to destroy resistance. Xeon tried to remember when the Enforcers had been helpful. They had stopped Rahi quicker and less dangerously than Vahki, they had helped defeat a being determined to destroy a civilian residence and they had prevented petty crime. The last one made Xeon remember something.

"You know," the Air Toa said, "Tuyet wondered how far you'd get. That's why she didn't wipe you out. But I think it was a mistake. You are a traitor to your own kind and have done nothing but damage to Toa, Matoran and the Enforcers. You should be destroyed here and now."

Xeon gave the Toa a cold look. "Good of you to share," Xeon said, "but you're sadly misinformed. Leave or I'll crush you with Magnetism." It was a bluff, but the Toa didn't know that, hopefully.

The Toa took out his sword. "Try me."

"Commander!" One of the Toa said. The rest was cut off as he felt sudden pain. A black and dark green warrior stood behind him with a ranged weapon, having just shot the Toa in the shoulder. The new being's eyes narrowed.

Two more beings appeared, all carrying some strange weapons. Some looked very advanced, others practically homemade. However, they were all equally effective in dispatching the Toa. The Enforcer, instead of fighting for the Toa, moved to stand with the newcomers. "Who are you now?" Xeon demanded of the large green figure that seemed to be in command.

"The ones who saved your friends," the shorter gray warrior answered for his tall companion. "Come on," he added, motioning.

X

In the massive throne room of Toa Tuyet inside the Metru Nui Coliseum, the ruler of the Toa Empire pondered the strange recent events. A particularly bothersome Matoran of Magnetism was proving very hard to kill indeed_. "'I'd have his mask on a wall if not for those 'Knights of Artakha'." _ She thought to herself. That last thought sent her mind back to when she suffered her defeat at the hands of Toa Noron and Toa Xarix. _"Very strange indeed. Toa who can control Time and Protodermis as I do Water? These could be very dangerous enemies indeed. Or…"_ She held a small vial of dark green liquid up to the light of a window. _"…very useful allies." _

A soft rapping was heard near the door. As a Guard motioned to open it, a swift and powerful kick sent the heavy stone door flying across the room, slamming the poor guard into the wall. Tuyet put the vial away and looked up at the dark, empty doorframe. "You dare mock me with silence?" She asked.

"…I'd mock anybody who's against us." A deep voice came out of the stillness.

"Against _us_? What do you mean?" Tuyet asked. A Toa of Fire walked in, adorned in strange looking crimson and black armor, a Protodermis scythe and shield strapped to his back. Tuyet's remaining guard, a Toa of Iron, walked over to the new arrival, and pointed to the scythe.

"No weapons near the Empress." He said. The Toa of Fire looked at the guard for a moment. Then a fire blast from the slammed into the guard, sending him into the wall on the far side of the great chamber. The ruler of the Toa Empire rose from her throne and strode to the Toa.

"I could kill you for that," she said, looking to the fallen guard. He smirked. "I could kill you now simply because I want to. But it might benefit me more to hear what you have to say instead."

"Gratitude." The fire Toa said. "I am Toa Gaihall of the Knights of Artakha, a…" Upon hearing this much, Tuyet quickly unhooked a chain-baton off of her belt and swung it at his head. Gaihall reached up and grabbed the baton in mid-swing. Tuyet stared.

"Impossible…" She muttered.

"Now, if you're done…" she lowered the baton. "I think you'll change your mind about me after you see this." He gave a nod to the chamber's entrance. Two Vhaki walked in, dragging a silver-clad Toa behind them. Tuyet watched as the Vahki dragged the unconscious form to the center of the room, and dropped him with a dull thud. "Recognize him?" Gaihall asked.

Tuyet turned to him. "You are the Toa, who sent me the message about Noron's betrayal, aren't you?"

Gaihall nodded "That was me."

"And this is the Toa I've been looking for, along with an orange one." Tuyet said.

"That would be Xarix." Gaihall replied. He gave another nod to the chamber's entrance. Two more Vhaki walked in, dragging another unconscious Toa behind them. This one clad in a brilliant orange armor. They set next to Noron with equal carelessness.

"Impressive that you were able to capture them, but if you are looking for a place on my side, two enemies Toa are not enough. Who knows how many more of these excuses for Toa there are in this city, or in the Universe for that matter." Gaihall sent one more nod to the door. A small parade of Vhaki came in, each pair dragging a Toa behind them. One clad in a rich blue armor, another in a blinding white, one in a brilliant lime green, and a last one in jet black. "There are many Knights of Artakha in the entirety of the Universe." Gaihall said. "But perhaps the Metru Nui Team will act as a token of good faith to convince you that I am an ally to the Toa Empire."

A/N:

Big thanks to MataNui2001 and Daviktion on DeviantART for helping me write this and lending some characters, respectively.


End file.
